The present disclosure relates to a system and method imaging and scanning a plurality of plants to capture information related to plant performance such as when the plants are under abiotic stress, for example.
High throughput screening systems of transgenic candidates in plants such as maize preferably capture data related to plant performance under abiotic stress in a rapid, efficient, yet comprehensive manner. Rapid processing involving logistics of plant container handling, morphological data capture, series control during data capture, and data analysis and management.
The system and method of the present disclosure provides both an imaging booth and a spectral signature capture booth designed for morphological phenotyping through both image capture and hyperspectral scanning of individual plantlets. The illustrated system enables rapid data capture of thousands of plants per imaging or scanning event and integrates into a vegetative stage high throughput screening program.
In an illustrated embodiment, plants are placed in a custom designed pot holder in a loading queue on a gravity feed conveyor system. The conveyor system times the release of each pot holder onto a conveyor belt such that they travel in sequence and are equally spaced from one another. The pot holders travel on the conveyor belt through a highly lighted imaging booth, through a hyperspectral scanning booth, and then out to the unloading queue.
In one illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, an imaging booth is disclosed for taking images of a plant located within a plant container moving on a conveyor belt through the imaging booth. The imaging booth includes a housing having an entrance opening and an exit opening to permit the plant container to enter and exit the housing on the conveyor belt, respectively. The housing also has a generally planar wall located on a first side of the conveyor belt and an arcuate wall located on a second, opposite side of the conveyor belt. The arcuate wall has a concave shape directed toward the generally planar wall. The imaging booth also includes a plurality of lights located on the arcuate wall to illuminate the plant in the plant container located on the conveyor belt in front of the generally planar wall, and a camera located in the housing above the conveyor belt to capture images of the illuminated plant in the plant container located on the conveyor belt.
In an illustrated embodiment, the arcuate wall has a semi-circular shape. The housing also has a ceiling located above the arcuate wall and the generally planar wall. A plurality of lights are located on the ceiling of the housing to further illuminate the plant located in the plant container on the conveyor belt.
In another illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, a hyperspectral scanning booth is disclosed for a plant located in a plant container moving through the scanning booth on a conveyor belt. The scanning booth includes a housing having an interior region, an entrance opening and an exit opening to permit the plant containers to enter and exit the housing on the conveyor belt passing through a bottom portion of the housing, at least one high intensity lamp located in the interior region of the housing above the conveyor belt to illuminate the plant located in the plant container on the conveyor belt, and a spectroradiometer probe located in the interior region of the housing above the conveyor belt to capture a reflected spectral signature from the illuminated plant. The scanning booth also includes at least one shield located in the housing above the conveyor belt and below the at least one high intensity lamp and the probe. The at least one shield is configured to obscure the conveyor belt from the probe.
In an illustrated embodiment, first and second shields are located in the housing above the conveyor belt. The first and second shields being aligned generally parallel to the conveyor belt and extend longitudinally from the entrance opening to the exit opening of housing. The first and second shields are separated from each other by a longitudinally extending gap to permit a portion of the plant to pass between the first and second shields with the plant container being located below the first and second shields. In one illustrated embodiment, the first and second shields each include a lead-in ramp surface located adjacent the entrance opening of the housing to guide a portion of plant into the slot between the first and second shields. Therefore, a stalk of the plant extends through the slot between the first and second shields so that leaves of the plant are located above the first and second shields for illumination by the at least one high intensity lamp and for scanning by the probe.
In yet another illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, a holding apparatus for a plant located within a plant container includes a semi-spherical base having a flat bottom surface and a flange defining a top opening, and an upwardly extending tube coupled to the base. The tube has a first end located in the top opening of the base to secure the tube to the base and a second open end configured to receive the plant container therein.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. Although the drawings represent embodiments of various features and components according to the present disclosure, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated in order to better illustrate and explain the present disclosure. The exemplification set out herein illustrates embodiments of the invention, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.